A collaboration between the Washington-based Kymeta Corporation and satellite services provider Intelsat, headquartered in Luxembourg, is expected to make the next evolution of connected car a reality.
The satellite company, which specialises in space-based communication, announced on Tuesday that it would be combining with Kymeta's innovative antenna technology to bring high speed connectivity to cars the world over. When achieved, this would allow for the creation of new services on every continent, support of software over-the-air applications, the advancement of autonomous driving and a path towards the future of the connected car.
Last month, Kymeta, which commercialises a new software-enable metamaterials-based electronic beamforming atenna used in satellite communications, joined Intelsat in an industry first to complete an 8,000 mile demonstration across the United States to prove that a 'dish' antenna was unnecessary for on-the-move satellite connectivity with the use of Kymeta's satellite-enabled test car. The roof of the car provided the location of the mTenna™ technology used, which then acquired and tracked Intelsat Ku-band satellite signals automatically whilst moving.
High throughput satellite connectivity and advancements in software-enabled, metamaterials-based electronic beamforming antenna technology have established a springboard for the development of reliable and consistent service availability, econmic multicast distribution and global ubiquity of service levels with an unmatched security environment in connected car technology.
“Satellite connectivity can best address the capacity, coverage and security concerns of conventional solutions to car connectivity. Better yet, these assets are available now. We don’t have to wait 10 years for a next generation cellular network to be invented and deployed,” commented Dr. Nathan Kundtz, Chief Executive Officer of Kymeta. “This will be crucial because five years from now, every car that comes off a production line should be connected. In fact, we should stop calling it the ‘connected car’, and just call it ‘the car’ because this is the future of automotive.”
“The automotive sector is a global business, where scalability and quality are essential to success,” added Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler. “We are enhancing the world’s largest satellite-broadband infrastructure with our next generation fleet, Intelsat EpicNG, allowing us to deliver highly efficient broadband services in the air, sea, and with Kymeta, to the automotive sector. With our global connectivity, automotive manufacturers and car owners alike will benefit from consistent, highly reliable and secure connectivity, literally anywhere in the world. Intelsat is confident that the future of connected car means satellite-enabled.”
The electronic tracking software of Kymeta's satellite antennae foregoes the need for mechanical components, guaranteeing continued connection regardless of location. This also ensures manufacturers hold the ability to use a simple push-notification for software upgrades to guarantee futureproof technology.
Photo by Intelsat
